Given it’s Men’s Health Awareness Month with the theme being ‘Time for a MOT’, it seems a good time to talk about maintaining mental and physical health in a busy world. This blog post covers a few ways that I and few others have found help to achieve this.
Taking time to maintain physical health can often be a challenge in a busy world but is an important factor in good mental health. The latter can be more complex and something men are particularly bad at talking about. Everyone deals with mental health differently at various stages of their lives. Men often face stigma around this subject with the phrase ‘man up’ creating an unhealthy culture of silence. But when things feel tough, there is a lot men can do to help themselves through support, friendship and taking time out.
Rowe has been working with Mindful Employer to create whole company sessions promoting positive mental health and team resilience. This has helped raise awareness and create a more open culture. Another way in which Rowe tries to help employees is with private health insurance. This offers support for a whole variety of physical and mental conditions when needed. Day to day, there are also points for tracking physical activity which can be exchanged for discounts on wellbeing products or films to help employees take time out and relax.
Taking time for self-care is important. There is no one size fits all. It is personal but about resetting stress levels. Here are some of the things the men at Rowe do:
Open Water Swimming
The popularity of open water swimming has increased dramatically over the last few years, and the many health benefits associated with this are often publicised. It has even been scientifically proven to make you happier as a result of the hormones that are produced. Some of the other benefits include:
- Physical fitness – swimming is one of the only activities that uses almost all your muscle groups, whilst also being low-impact which means it relieves stress on your joints.
- Cold water swimming can boost your immune system, and can also help prevent or ease some long-term health conditions
- Relieves stress – open water swimming triggers your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), resulting in feelings of calm and even better sleep (https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a36714266/open-water-swimming/)
I have been open water swimming for about a year and a half now. My level of physical fitness has never been so good, and the feeling of calm and relaxation afterwards is hard to describe, particularly when the water gets colder. Even just being by the sea can by relaxing in itself. I also enjoy the connection with nature whilst swimming, particularly on a calm day when I can glide across the surface looking at the sea life below as I go.
Rowe being located in Plymouth makes open water swimming extremely convenient and allows it to fit in with a busy lifestyle. There are many occasions where I have been swimming either before or after work, and is a brilliant way to start or end your day.
Running
Many of the men at Rowe enjoy running. The physical benefits of this include weight loss and reduced risk of a heart attack or stroke. There are also some benefits from a mental health perspective. The endorphins released during the exercise result in you feeling relaxed and in a good mood. There is also research that shows running can allow your brain to perform better due to the improved blood flow and can lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease.
Using apps like Couch to 5k is a great way to start. I was amazed at how quickly you can build up your distance when first starting out, so this was a huge motivator. Another benefit is the convenience of running, as it’s easy to simply run from home for half an hour or so, which is much less of a time commitment than many other activities.
Walking
An activity that I and others at the company like to do in our spare time is walking. Whilst this is not as intense as the other activities mentioned, it still comes with many physical health benefits. Research shows that being in nature can make us feel happier and reduce levels of depression and anxiety. It’s also a brilliant activity you can do to spend time with family or friends.
Team Sports
Football and hockey are popular team activities at Rowe. The benefits of team sports are huge. It can boost confidence, feeling connected with others and reduce stress and anxiety. Humans are social creatures and encouraging activities within the company like Five-A-Side or even social outings, helps improve mental wellbeing. I am going to include Laser Tag as a team sport following our recent outing in Plymouth although it did become survival of the fittest by the end!
Men need to learn that they are not alone. That they do not have to quietly shoulder mental health concerns and that they are stronger together. Whether you choose to take time to swim, run, walk, play sport, game or read a book, it does not matter. What matters is that you take time for self-care and friendship.
